10 Using Rules Gerund and infinitive examples 2024

Gerunds:

A gerund is a verb form that ends in -ing and acts as a noun, representing an action rather than a person or thing. Almost any verb can be turned into a gerund. According to Thesaurus “A gerund is like a blend of verbs and nouns.

As refer to Grammarly, “A gerund (pronounced JER-und) is a verb that’s acting as a noun.”

Spelling Tip:
To form a gerund, simply add -ing to most verbs, like playing, crying, or barking. If the verb ends in -e, drop the -e and add -ing, as in sliding or riding. For verbs ending in -ie, change the -ie to -y and add -ing, such as dying or tying.

10 examples of gerund and infinitive used as subjects in sentences

If the last syllable of a verb is stressed and written as a consonant-vowel-consonant, double the last letter before adding -ing. For example, beg becomes begging and begin becomes beginning. However, for verbs like enter, where the last syllable is not stressed, simply add -ing to form the gerund: entering.

What Are Infinitives With Example, and How Do You Use Them?

10 Using Rules Gerund and infinitive examples 2024

Gerund Examples:

Gerunds can be used as the subject of a sentence, here are five sentences where gerunds are used as the subject:

• Swimming is my favorite form of exercise.
• Singing brings me joy and relaxation.
• Dancing requires practice and dedication.
• Running can help improve cardiovascular health.
• Writing allows me to express my thoughts and creativity.

In these examples, “swimming,” “singing,” “dancing,” “running,” and “writing” are gerunds acting as the subjects of the sentences.

Gerund and infinitive examples

Gerunds can indeed act as the object of a verb, below given five examples of sentences where gerunds are used as the object –

• She enjoys reading novels in her free time.
• They love playing soccer on the weekends.
• I can’t stand hearing loud noises.
• The teacher encouraged practicing math problems regularly.
• We are considering going on a vacation next month.

In these sentences, “reading,” “playing,” “hearing,” “practicing,” and “going” are gerunds acting as the objects of the verbs “enjoys,” “love,” “can’t stand,” “encouraged,” and “considering,” respectively.

10 examples of gerund and infinitive used as subjects in sentences

Gerunds can serve as the object of a preposition, below given five examples of sentences where gerunds are used as the object of a preposition:

• She is passionate about painting.
• They went hiking in the mountains.
• He apologized for interrupting the meeting.
• We are looking forward to seeing you at the event.
• They are interested in learning new languages.

In these sentences, “painting,” “hiking,” “interrupting,” “seeing,” and “learning” are gerunds acting as the objects of the prepositions “about,” “in,” “for,” “to,” and “in,” respectively.

Note: The same spelling rules that apply to the progressive tenses also apply to gerunds.

Some verbs and verb phrases are directly followed by a gerund, below are five examples of sentences where verbs/verb phrases are followed by a gerund:

• I enjoy swimming in the ocean.
• They admitted to stealing the cookies.
• She suggested going to the movies tonight.
• He can’t help laughing at funny jokes.
• We started planning our next vacation.

In these sentences, “enjoy,” “admitted to,” “suggested,” “can’t help,” and “started” are the verbs/verb phrases that are directly followed by gerunds “swimming,” “stealing,” “going,” “laughing,” and “planning,” respectively.

There are certain verbs that can be followed by either a gerund or an infinitive without a significant change in meaning, below are five examples of such verbs in sentences:

• He likes to swim / swimming in the pool.
• They love to dance / dancing at parties.
• She started to learn / learning French last year.
• We prefer to stay / staying at home on weekends.
• They can’t afford to buy / buying a new car right now.

In these sentences, verbs like “like,” “love,” “start,” “prefer,” and “afford” can be followed by either the infinitive form (to + verb) or the gerund form (verb + -ing) without a substantial change in meaning.

10 Rules of Gerund and infinitive examples 2024

There are certain verbs that can be followed by both a gerund and an infinitive, but the choice of the verb form can result in a change in meaning. Below are five examples of such verbs in sentences:

• He stopped smoking. (He quit the habit of smoking.)
• He stopped to smoke. (He paused what he was doing in order to smoke.)
• She remembered calling her friend. (She recalled that she made a phone call to her friend.)
• She remembered to call her friend. (She didn’t forget to make a phone call to her friend.)
• They forgot locking the door. (They unintentionally left the door unlocked.)
• They forgot to lock the door. (They didn’t remember to lock the door.)
• He tries swimming every day. (He attempts to swim every day.)
• He tries to swim every day. (He makes an effort to swim every day.)
• I can’t help loving her. (I cannot control my feelings of love for her.)
• I can’t help but love her. (I have no choice but to love her.)

In these examples, the use of either a gerund or an infinitive after the verb can result in a difference in the intended meaning or emphasis of the sentence.

Infinitives:

An infinitive is a verb form that is formed with “to” followed by the base form of the verb (e.g., to buy, to work). It can function as different parts of speech in a sentence.

Infinitive Examples:

Infinitives can indeed be used as the object of a verb, below are five examples of sentences where infinitives are used as the objects:

• She wants to learn how to play the guitar.
• They decided to take a trip to Europe.
• He likes to read books in his spare time.
• We need to finish the project by tomorrow.
• I hope to see you at the party.

In these sentences, the infinitives “to learn,” “to take,” “to read,” “to finish,” and “to see” are acting as the objects of the verbs “wants,” “decided,” “likes,” “need,” and “hope,” respectively.

Infinitives can indeed act as the subject of a sentence, below are five examples of sentences where infinitives are used as the subjects:

20 Gerund and infinitive examples

• To succeed requires hard work and dedication.
• To travel is my greatest passion.
• To live a fulfilling life is everyone’s goal.
• To understand others is to practice empathy.
• To learn a new language opens doors to new opportunities.

In these sentences, the infinitives “to succeed,” “to travel,” “to live,” “to understand,” and “to learn” are acting as the subjects of the sentences, highlighting the action or concept that the sentence revolves around.

Infinitives can function as adverbs and modify a verb in a sentence, below are five examples of sentences where infinitives are used as adverbs to modify verbs:

• She ran fast to catch the bus.
  (The infinitive phrase “to catch the bus” modifies the verb “ran” and indicates the purpose or intention of the action.)
• He studied hard to pass the exam.
  (The infinitive phrase “to pass the exam” modifies the verb “studied” and expresses the purpose or goal of the studying.)
• They worked together to complete the project.
  (The infinitive phrase “to complete the project” modifies the verb “worked” and denotes the purpose or objective of their joint effort.)
• She sang beautifully to entertain the audience.
  (The infinitive phrase “to entertain the audience” modifies the verb “sang” and describes the purpose or intention of her singing.)
• He practiced daily to improve his skills.
  (The infinitive phrase “to improve his skills” modifies the verb “practiced” and indicates the purpose or desired outcome of the practice.)

In these sentences, infinitive phrases act as adverbs, providing additional information about the manner of action, purpose, or intent expressed by the verb.

Gerund and infinitive examples & rules 2024

Infinitives can be used as adjectives and modify a noun in a sentence, below are five examples of sentences where infinitives are used as adjectives to modify nouns:

• I have a book to read.
  (The infinitive phrase “to read” modifies the noun “book” and describes the purpose or intended use of the book.)
• He needs a pen to write.
  (The infinitive phrase “to write” modifies the noun “pen” and specifies the purpose or function of the pen.)
  10 examples of gerund and infinitive used as subjects in sentences
• She bought a dress to wear to the party.
  (The infinitive phrase “to wear to the party” modifies the noun “dress” and indicates the intended use or occasion for the dress.)
• They have a house to sell.
  (The infinitive phrase “to sell” modifies the noun “house” and suggests the purpose or intention of the house.)
• We need a table to work.
  (The infinitive phrase “to work” modifies the noun “table” and specifies the desired function or purpose of the table.)

Some verbs are directly followed by an infinitive, below are five examples of verbs that are commonly followed by an infinitive:

• She decided to go for a walk.
• They want to learn how to play the piano.
• He needs to finish his homework.
• We like to eat ice cream.
• I plan to visit my grandparents next weekend.

In these sentences, the verbs “decided,” “want,” “need,” “like,” and “plan” are directly followed by an infinitive phrase.

Some verbs are followed by a noun or pronoun and then an infinitive, this is often referred to as a verb + noun/pronoun + infinitive pattern, below are five examples of such verbs:

• She asked me to help her with the project.
• They encouraged their children to pursue their dreams.
• He reminded his brother to pick up the groceries.
• We invited our friends to join us for dinner.
• The teacher advised the students to study for the exam.

In these sentences, the verbs “asked,” “encouraged,” “reminded,” “invited,” and “advised” are followed by a noun or pronoun (“me,” “their children,” “his brother,” “our friends,” “the students”) and then an infinitive (“to help,” “to pursue,” “to pick up,” “to join,” “to study”).

Learn infinitive verb examples

There are certain verbs that can be followed by either an infinitive or a gerund without a significant change in meaning, below are five examples of such verbs in sentences:

• I like to swim / swimming in the ocean.
• She loves to dance / dancing at parties.
• He started to learn / learning French last year.
• We enjoy hiking / to hike in the mountains.
• They prefer reading / to read books in their free time.

There are some verbs that can be followed by both an infinitive and a gerund, but the choice of the verb form can change the meaning, below are five examples of such verbs in sentences:

Subject Verb Agreement rules and examples

• He remembered to call his friend. (He didn’t forget to make the phone call.)
  He remembered calling his friend. (He recalled that he made a phone call.)
• She stopped to buy groceries. (She paused what she was doing in order to buy groceries.)
  She stopped buying groceries. (She no longer continues the action of buying groceries.)
  10 examples of gerund and infinitive
• They love to watch movies. (They enjoy the activity of watching movies.)
  They love watching movies. (They have a strong affection or preference for movies.)
• He tries to solve the problem. (He attempts to find a solution.)
  He tries solving the problem. (He experiments with different approaches in solving the problem.)
• I like to swim in the ocean. (I enjoy the activity of swimming.)
  I like swimming in the ocean. (I have a preference or find pleasure in swimming in the ocean.)

In conclusion, verbs can be followed by either an infinitive or a gerund, and the choice between the two can lead to differences in meaning or emphasis. When an infinitive is used, it often highlights the purpose, intent, or future action associated with the verb.

10 examples of gerund and infinitive in sentences

It emphasizes the aim or purpose of the subject. On the other hand, when a gerund is used, it emphasizes the ongoing or continuous nature of the action. It indicates that the verb expressed by the gerund is an activity or habit associated with the subject.Understanding the difference between using an infinitive and a gerund after a verb allows for more precise and subtle expressions in communication.